Atlas V rocket launches Thursday morning in final mission from Vandenberg SFB

"Our outstanding Airmen and Guardian professionals continue to showcase flawless execution and teamwork," Long said.

ULA's 730,000-pound vehicle carried two payloads to low-Earth orbit: the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) Joint Polar Satellite System-2 (JPSS-2), and NASA's Low-Earth Orbit Flight Test of an Inflatable Decelerator (LOFTID).

LOFTID's large deployable aeroshell is an inflatable structure protected by a flexible heat shield. The heat shield acts as a giant brake in the atmosphere, according to officials, while the large aeroshell creates more drag than a traditional, smaller rigid aeroshell.

The inflatable heat shield technology, which is designed for atmospheric entry and re-entry, could one day help land humans on Mars and play an integral part in the agency's reusability plan to recover the main engines of a future Vulcan rocket, ULA officials said.

The Vulcan Centaur rocket has been under development since 2014 and is ULA's two-stage-to-orbit, heavy-lift launch vehicle, expected to make its initial flight in early 2023.

According to officials, once JPSS-2 reaches its intended orbit, LOFTID will be put on a reentry trajectory to test out its inflatable aeroshell or heat shield's ability to slow down and survive re-entry.

ULA's partnership with NASA on the mission test is an ideal matchup, said Mark Peller, ULA vice president of Major Development, in a post-launch statement released by the space launch company.

“This demonstration allows ULA to focus on launch integration applications for engine recovery including parachute development, transportation and recovery, flight environments, precision navigation for landing and recovery and more,” Peller said.

A second payload — the JPSS-2 satellite — is currently on pace to join a constellation of satellites in approximately one week, when it will be renamed "NOAA-21" as it reaches its final orbit, NOAA officials reported.

The satellite is designed to beam back images of the entire globe twice daily that feed forecasting models which offer insight into weather events including rainfall, snow, hurricanes, and environmental hazards such as forest fires and volcanic activity.

The satellite's instruments, approximately one month after launch, will begin collecting data that scientist say will be released to the public and used in NOAA’s operational forecasts and warnings after rigorous tests are performed to ensure instruments are performing as intended.

"Data from satellites like JPSS-2 are the foundation for our weather forecasts," said Ken Graham, director of NOAA’s National Weather Service, in a statement released Thursday. "The constellation of weather satellites provides essential support to National Weather Service forecasters, which in turn, allows the public to be better prepared and for emergency managers to preposition response assets to save lives."

Data produced by the JPSS-2 include imagery, atmospheric temperature and humidity profiles, land and ocean surface temperature measurements, and readings on ozone levels and solar radiation from the planet.

The life expectancy of the JPSS-2 is seven years with potential to operate for several more, officials said.

Long, who also served as the launch director for Team Vandenberg's 2,000th launch of the Atlas V Landsat 9 mission in September 2021, said he was fortunate to again participate in a historic and final Atlas mission.

"Our mission partners in government and industry are critical to our success," said Long. "While we close this chapter, we are excited about the increased tempo on the horizon at the Western Range."